Stories From Main Street: A Children's Book Takes On Bullying

Katsoris, of Eastchester, created the Loukoumi series to empower and encourage children, he told Adams. His latest book tackles the schoolyard bully.

“I see it in social media, I see it in the schools. When I was a kid, someone made fun of my name and my name was Nicholas,” said Katsoris. “You can’t think of a better topic today than bullying in the schools because it’s really an epidemic.”

In the audio book, Morgan Freeman voices the bully, Igor the alligator.

“The most important thing is the third person who’s the spectator to get involved and to be a friend and not to empower the bully. Because if the bully doesn’t have an audience, then maybe he won’t be as forceful as he may want to be,” said Katsoris. “If we don’t teach them at a young age about anti-bullying, then they’ll just grow up to be adult bullies in the workplace, in the home, in all aspects of life.”

Stories from Main Street – Photo: Evan Bindelglass / WCBS 880

This is Katsoris’ sixth children’s book. He recently brought it to the Anne Hutchinson School in Eastchester.

“We can try to be nice and then they could be nice to us back,” second grader Megan Bilali told Adams. “Loukoumi kept being nice and gave candy to Igor so Igor became nice.”

Katsoris’ son attends the Anne Hutchinson School.

Proceeds from the Loukoumi books benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.